This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

The Foreign Secretary said:

“The British Government has made clear that the situation in Gaza is a tragedy and unsustainable. Together with the EU and Quartet, we have called on Israel to ease restrictions on access and enable a return to economic normality.

I therefore welcome Israel’s decision to move from a list of 120 permitted goods to a list of specific prohibited items. This step shows that it is possible to lift the pressure on ordinary Gazans without compromising the security of ordinary Israelis. All parties must now work together urgently to deliver real change on the ground. This will mean building capacity at the crossings, getting vital reconstruction projects up and running and ensuring that Gazans can export as well as import goods. The UK stands ready to support this.

This announcement comes at a time when I know thousands are marching through Israel calling for the release of Gilad Shalit. It is despicable that, four years on, he should still be held by Hamas in denial of the most basic of human rights. We continue to call for the immediate release of Gilad Shalit who has been held hostage in Gaza since June 2006.”

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